The total value of imports and exports between the mainland and Macao has accumulated to 471.43 billion yuan ($64.7 billion) from January 2000 to November 2024, according to customs data.

The annual trade volume has grown from 4.87 billion yuan in 1999 to 27.01 billion yuan in 2023, with an average annual growth rate of 7.4 percent. In the first 11 months of 2024, the import and export value reached 25.94 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.7 percent.

Over the past 25 years since Macao's return to the motherland, the attractiveness of the Macao market to private enterprises from the mainland has continuously grown, with the proportion of imports and exports significantly rising, according to the Gongbei Customs in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

In the first 11 months of this year, private enterprises from the mainland recorded an import and export value of 10.75 billion yuan with Macao through the Gongbei Customs, a 25.9 percent increase compared to the previous year.

Additionally, leveraging its geographical proximity to the mainland, Macao's advantageous industries have been expanding into the mainland market.

Products like cigarettes, pharmaceuticals, copper-clad laminates and food have replaced textiles and garments as the main imported products to the mainland from Macao, the customs said.

The mainland has imported a total of 135.6 tons of specialty pastries from Macao, a 25.4 percent increase year-on-year, during the first 11 months of this year.

Almond cakes, egg rolls, pineapple cakes and other Macao specialty pastries are highly popular among consumers on the mainland.